D&D General The adventure game vs the role-playing game

[el-remmen]

I agree that role-playing originally referred to "playing a role" not acting but like most terms, over time the emphasis changed.

The opinion piece I attached below from Dragon #102 (October 1985) has Gary Gygax weighing in on the issue way back then.

(Note: I have not re-read this yet, just went and found it in my boxes in the basement and scanned it, so will be back later to see what it has wrought and what I think).

 

[DemoMonkey]

By that definition, all games are roleplaying games. Because you are playing a side.

That side may be "Blue" or "Russia", but since you are describing what your side does you are roleplaying. No?

To repeat myself a) I don't agree with that definition and b) Even if I did, it is not useful to the OP question.

 

[iserith]

By that definition, all games are roleplaying games. Because you are playing a side.

That side may be "Blue" or "Russia", but since you are describing what your side does you are roleplaying. No?

To repeat myself a) I don't agree with that definition and b) Even if I did, it is not useful to the OP question.

You are welcome to start posting additional solutions to the dilemma presented in the original post, as I have done already, at any time. Nobody is forcing you to have a conversation about how the definition of roleplaying from the most recent version of the game actually helps identify the challenge and possible remedies more easily.

 

[DemoMonkey]

By your definition of roleplaying, there is no problem, so there is no need of a solution.

So, the question is not why I am discussing an open issue. The question is, why are you when you don't believe the issue even exists?

 

[Maxperson]

By that definition, all games are roleplaying games. Because you are playing a side.

That side may be "Blue" or "Russia", but since you are describing what your side does you are roleplaying. No?

To repeat myself a) I don't agree with that definition and b) Even if I did, it is not useful to the OP question.

Sides are not roles. Playing a fighter is playing a role. Playing an elf is playing a role. Being the Shoe in Monopoly isn't a role. You aren't playing the Shoe, you are playing Monopoly. The same with a game like Axis and Allies where you are playing countries, not roles.

 

[Yardiff]

I haven't watched (close to) all of it, but what strikes me about CR is that they're better at the talky stuff, but in terms of time spent at the table (or on camera), they're doing plenty of the adventure stuff. Their characters have personalities, goals, background experiences, etc., but again, it's all pretty traditional RPG character stuff. If there are episodes where they just sit around talking in character, I haven't seen them.

Campaign 2 ep 91 an entire 4 hour episode.

 

[Greg Benage]

Campaign 2 ep 91 or 92

So one episode out of ~250?

Okay. Still more all-talk sessions I'd run, but this doesn't seem overly talky.

 

[DemoMonkey]

"Sides are not roles. Playing a fighter is playing a role."

Why? I can be just as personally invested and add just as much personalization - if not more - to a country or faction in a board game than a bog standard pre-gen character in a D&D game.

What makes playing a side "not roleplaying". Scale? In a D&D game, would I be not playing a role if I had two characters? Three? 1 character and 20 henchmen?

Defining everything done in an RPG as automatically being roleplaying is both inarguable (because the position is basically tautological) , and useless for discussion.

 

[payn]

Saying it's all roleplay is nice and inclusive and all, but as soon as you break roleplaying down into nuance its going to get exclusive AF again.

Are there playstyle differences among your group(s)? How do you handle the differences?

 

[Gorg]

Having said that some of the more popular online games like critical role play d&d in a more roleplay heavy style than almost any table I’ve been at so the level based system certainly doesn’t prevent heavy roleplay.

And I think you just explained the appearance of a bunch of new RP players to the game. The internet/social media generation. A lot of newer players likely had their first "experiences" with D&D gameplay via watching videos of other people playing it. Just about all I've seen of that type of video, are like you say: RP heavy.

As a certified old fart, I just don't get the attraction of watching other people play video games- on video on my computer- but it's a huge and popular segment on Youtube, for example. (I do occasionally watch Jingles' channel when he posts a World of Warships video- as I play that game- but it's mainly for his British sense of humor, lol and castigating players for something utterly dumb that they did as only a Brit can!)

I also agree with the second half of your statement. This is something I've never understood- how game mechanics, devised to give a game some structure, could possibly prevent anyone from roleplaying. Interaction- talking- between characters or NPC's is just something you do. We all know how to have a conversation (some of us more so than others!)- just make a comment, ask a question, etc. The Rules don't govern that at all.